Lullabies In The Dark - Song For Marie & Elise

Lullabies In The Dark - Song For Marie & Elise
Like a lot of the cosmic/Balearic/space-disco constellation, a lot of what Permanent Vacation does borders on bad taste music. It’s difficult terrain: there are a lot of unmined gems in them there fields, but the field itself is a minefield. The difference is that Permanent Vacation are really astute in plotting their course – their catalogue is amounting to something quite special, so far, and this EP is a worthy addition to their pile.

‘Songs for Marie and Elise’ is a shy little laptop-pop wallflower – close your eyes while listening and you can see it laid out element by element on Ableton’s Arrangement View. There are chimes, there is acoustic guitar, there is a slow build with strings and an electric guitar on the break. It’s "nice", but a bit polite, really – it needs some vodka and rough kisses (or something). I keep listening to hear if I’ve missed something – but no, it’s all laid out, there just ain’t much to it, although maybe that’s the point.

‘Code 7429’ begins with some ur-trance synth horns, but then breaks into disco mode with a big piano break and heaving Fender bassline. Much more dramatic than ‘Songs…’, there’s still something either bare or lacking about the arrangement. It’s a bit Syclops by numbers, even when the arpeggiator comes in to ruffle some feathers. For me, there’s just not enough rudeness, chaos, no glint.

But then Lullabies in the Dark (Vito de Luca) meets Stephen Fasano, and suddenly with their powers combined they become Aeroplane and mix the whole thing into the whole storming reason you’d bother with this EP. There was that moment in Immer 2 where Michael Mayer crossed the Rubicon as he segued between minimal tech-house and space disco. On the other side, there was Prins Thomas, either waving or trying to fade into Kompaktland. Either DJ, either style, could stick this mix in the middle and make it work. It’s got that cosmic whoosh, but there’s also a mainfloor prog chug underpinning it. Then (‘cos this is Aeroplane, after all) there’s the takeoff, which happens with a big drop away, a swirling build of sparkles, and lots of turbine hiss. And the louder you play it, the better it sounds.